How do we plan for growth?
We try to balance growth across Cambridge and Leamington, to keep the business hub central as the town grows - but the largest growth areas will be in the northern and western Cambridge areas, as the growth cells are developed.
All this development won’t happen straight away. First, we need to consider if we are ready for development. Development does not proceed until we have certainty to these questions:
- Is a structure plan in place for the growth cell and has the associated consultation and adoption to the District Plan happened?
- Is the development in general accordance with the approved structure plan or any variance authorised by the Council in consultation with affected landowners?
- Are programmes and budgets in place for Council to provide the infrastructure or agreement between the Developer and Council / Infrastructure Provider?
- Is 20 percent more land available for development than our forecasted population demand at any given point in time as required by the National Policy Statement for Urban Development?
Planning done right
Before any development of land, house builds or creation of new roads, we plan how and where everything will go and what an area will look like. We call this a structure plan. It makes sure any new developments are connected with our established town areas in a well-designed, appealing and cohesive way.
Structure plans are typically developed for each growth cell individually, but with larger and nearby developments, Council will consider structure plans in tandem. This is what’s taken place in Cambridge as the stormwater and roading solutions are extensive, so benefit from having a wider lens.
Our community is consulted before each structure plan is finalised. Once the final version is adopted by Council, it goes into the District Plan through a Plan Change process.
We collect development contributions from developers during the development process, to help pay for the new infrastructure – this means growth pays for growth.
New subdivisions happen in a staged way.
First, Council installs the water and wastewater connections underground by upgrading any networks to support the growth cells. For example, the water and wastewater infrastructure along Cambridge Road to service the C2 and C3 land is being upgraded. We also secure the necessary land for public purposes to accommodate infrastructure such as roading and stormwater swales and reserve land so the developers can start the exciting part – making the subdivisions come to life.
Next, the developer takes over. This is when you start to see more activity. House and land packages are presented, new roads are built, and cycleways that connect to established paths are laid. Services like telecommunications and power are also installed.
